Next up

So my reading date is set for the Woodstock Fringe Voices of the Fringe series. Thursday May 16 is the date. I had some uncertainty about which piece to do then, I originally wanted to do this piece I started on about posing for a portrait and what goes on in your head while you're posing, but I couldn't seem to crack it. I did a couple of drafts, but it seemed kind of rote, so I put it aside and decided to go with a more straight narrative piece that I banged out a few months ago. It's not perfect, but I'll work on it between now and then and hopefully it'll be closer to where it needs to be by that time. The reading is a 7pm (there are four pieces total the whole thing is 90 minutes or so) and it's in the Community Room at Westbeth 155 Bank Street Greenwhich Village, NYC. Oh and it's free.

You know I still pinch myself when I think about doing my stuff in the city. I think about all the time I spent wishing and hoping before I actually made the move . . . it really has worked out well. It is a rich and rewarding place to be in life to be creating and having people respond so well to the work. Yes, it would be great to be able to support myself with my writing, but it's nice to have the kind of job that doesn't get in the way so one thing doesn't get in the way of the other too much. Not only that but I was thinking the other day about the hustle of working in the arts . . . the jobs are fleeting and there aren't that many people who can make a sustainable living doing it, certainly not with mortgages and kids in college and eating something other than cans of beans. At any rate, I like where I am right now. But I digress.

I basically need to have more fun with the posing piece . . . I'll get it right one of these days. The wonderful thing about doing these solo pieces that I write for myself, is that most of them I'll never get too old to do!

Still waiting to hear from the NY Fringe people. I think they said they announce in late April. Then in June the All For One Festival makes their announcement. All very exciting. Both of those are in the city and they would both be multiple performances. Since they aren't at the same time it would not be inconceivable to do both if they both chose me . . . but let's not put the cart before the horse here! For the Fringe I submitted as a two piece evening under the title 'Hillbilly Gothic'(Old Hickory and Like a Sack of Potatoes) and for AFO I just submitted Old Hickory.

I'll miss the Woodstock Fringe Festival this summer. I am happy and proud to be part of that family and to have contributed in the last four of the ten years that it existed. There are many wonderful magical memories.

Going to see Kafka's Ape on Wednesday, which is a solo piece in which a woman plays an ape who learned to adapt to survive by taking on the speech and habits of men. It got a rave in the Times this week, but happily we had already gotten our tix before that. There was a profile of the actress in the Times the week before and it sounds very interesting. The running time is 50 minutes so it avoids the pitfall that Ann didn't which is trying to make it a full 2 hour evening . . . as my friend Norman Marshall says: 'I've never seen a play that was too short'.

Ann + some random stuff

We went to see the not-quite-solo-show Ann the other night at Lincoln Center (first time at the Beaumont, beautiful space). It is about Ann Richards and was written by and stars Holland Taylor. Bette and I were both interested in seeing this what with all the solo pieces we've been working on in the last few years. I have to agree with both of the Times critics that it could stand some trimming. I suppose they want a full two hour evening, but it did tend to ramble a bit in the second act. It seemed to me like they didn't quite know how to end it . . . at any rate, other than the script issues I'd say it's worth seeing. Holland Taylor was Ann Richards. I don't know her work that well but she really knocked this one out of the park. It was much more than I expected it to be. Very funny and powerful. The reason I called it a not-quite-solo piece is that she did use a voice on an intercom to interact with some . . . so that was kind of cheating, but it worked. The voice on the phone was Julie White who killed in The Little Dog Laughed a few years ago.

The sad thing was that on a Saturday night the place was only about two thirds full. A person I know who invests some in shows, said solo pieces are a tough sell . . . I guess this is a prime example. Charlie Rose was there Sat night, maybe he'll talk it up!

As to my own stuff . . . I've been working on my newest piece in advance of a reading in May. Going through the first draft line by line and deciding what stays and what goes and trying to make something of it. It's a challenge because it's the piece I wrote about a guy posing for a portrait . . . so a lot of internalized stuff . . . kind of stream of conscious . . . but it has to build to something . . . so we'll see what happens . . . speaking of which . . . I have to get at it!

One more thing . . . I got my rejection letter from New Dramatists, but waiting to hear from the NYC Fringe and All For One Festival, also in the city . . . the Fringe announces in late April and AFO in June.

Letter at OMT

I can't believe I got through all the work on learning the piece and rehearsing it without one post! At any rate, the rehearsal period was great. We worked hard on it for a couple of weeks and the work certainly paid off . . . I thought the performance went very well, nice crowd, and receptive . . . the comments were favorable and people identified with the character and his plight. It was an exceptional way to get it out there, but then, One Man Talking usually is. They make it so easy. They ask nothing other than that you come in and do the piece ... no cost no expectation other than that you get to do your thing.

Next year I'm going for five in a row!

It is wonderful to work with Bette. Last year we got act together in Wallace's piece up in Woodstock but for the last three years she has directed my solo pieces for OMT ... she is demanding in all the right ways, the only expectation is that I live up to the promise of the piece . . . we should be excellent or else why bother? It's a high standard to be held to but I have always expected nothing less of myself . . . we make an exceptional team.

Next up? A day or two to reflect and then I'll look at my newer pieces with fresh eyes, finishing Damage Control at the workshop next week and in a few weeks we'll hear about the NY Fringe Festival . . . fingers crossed for that.

For now though basking in the glow of Letter of Resignation.

Next up: One Man Talking

So Letter of Resignation is accepted for One Man Talking. The performance is March 5th at 5 pm! Not too far off, but I ought to be able to get it together. Bette is directing, as she did last year for Like a Sack of Potatoes. Should be fun. The challenge is to get people out for it . . . here's hoping!

I'm also seriously considering the NY Fringe Festival this year . . . might be an ideal time since the Woodstock Fringe ain't happening this time around . . . so all in all should/could be a rocking year.

We shall see.

My morning pages

Maybe I should make this blog a morning ritual, like the morning pages in An Artist's Way. Maybe if I did that it would do two things: get me writing consistently again and be more regular with the old blogging!

Of course the blog started to track Old Hickory and I was very religious in keeping it updated as Wallace and I adventured with the piece . . . not so much recently. So let's play catchup!

The Snowball Festival was . . . let's say . . . interesting. I'm certainly glad I didn't put a lot of energy into the tech end of things because I was in a small gallery space (smaller than many of the rehearsal rooms you see around town) with no lights to speak of and no sound equipment. I had done the piece for some friends in their dining room the weekend before and it was good practise for the minimalist approach as it was just me and my knives basically.

That has it's charms for sure. People have nothing to be distracted by and listen to the words more? Maybe. At any rate, seven people showed for the Snowball Fest and they all seemed pretty enthusiastic about it . . . I don't think I'll do it again next year however . . . but hey, it was a chance to act on a Saturday! And to keep Old Hickory warmed up.

Which leads me to my next topic - the possibility of doing it in the city as part of SoloNova Festival in May. I should be hearing from them in the next week or so . . . they said 'on or about Jan. 31' . . . so fingers crossed. It would be three or four performances so it would be a sweet thing to do. I figure I've done OH 13 times for paying audiences . . . a few more would be awesome.

I heard from One Man Talking . . . and to my shock they made me an alternate this year! That really surprised me. Letter of Resignation is as good as any of the others really and I was looking forward to the opportunity, but it it is what it is I suppose . . . I sure can't make them do it! And it is a lot of work for one performance. Still and all . . . the fourth consecutive year would have been nice.

I need to get back to working on a couple of things . . . the solo piece about posing has a lot of potential . . . I'm going to try to whip it into some kind of shape for the Voices From the Fringe this year.

So . . . that's about it for now . . . a tad more consistency in posting is another goal!

2012 a tad of reflection

I think it all together appropriate to look back at the year past and take stock. A good year in just about every way:

First and foremost: our daughter returned safely from her semester in Peru, which was a relief. What an experience for her in so many ways . . . I couldn't be more proud of her.

Theater:

1) I got to perform three of my solo pieces; Old Hickory in Nyack, Like a Sack of Potatoes at One Man Talking, and Letter of Resignation as both a reading (in NYC) and a staged reading (in Woodstock). Though the pace was intense for the first couple of months of the year, with about two weeks between OH and Sack of Potatoes, it still was very rewarding.

2)I got to perform in someone else's play with other actors! What a treat that was. When all you focus on is the solo stuff there are elements of the experience that you forget, and one of those is other people being involved and working with and off them and using that energy to feed off of . . . it was a wonderful time and getting to work closely with Bette and Wallace (the writer/director/visionary) made it that much more rewarding.

3) Other plays in the hopper: two solo pieces in various stages of construction and the third and final piece of the miners trilogy, which I have been working on since taking into the Fringe workshop this fall.

I didn't see nearly enough theater this year, but what can you do. Saw the wonderful Clybourne Park and the disappointing Other Desert Cities in one day, which was a new experience! Also managed to get in the amazing One Man Two Guv'nors . . . I hope to laugh that hard again some day. Outside of B'way we did see Tribes, which was well directed and acted, but I wouldn't call it one of those essential theater memories (a nice topic for a future post).

On a personal level: my job is going about as well as it could go. I don't talk about it much, if at all, here, because this is about the theater side of me, but without the means to pay the bills, there would be a very limited theater side of me. Bette's career is also doing very well, she has as many patients as she can handle and more call for services all the time.

So as we put 2012 in a box and shlepp it to the attic, there is much to look forward to in the coming year . . . and I look forward to surprises as well! This time last year, I knew I was doing OH in Nyack and Potatoes at OMT, but I had no idea about Wallace's play or what the final form of Letter of Resignation would be. Much to look forward to . . . and to be at an age when many or most are calling it a day, having long since forgotten or set aside their dreams . . . to be at that age and still excited about what happens next, what opportunities will arise or what I will create in the coming year . . . to still be pursuing all this that I longed so much for before I moved to the city nearly 26 years ago (Jan 11 1987). . . I don't take one second of that for granted and I hope for many more years to come with that same level of anticipation and excitement! The Great Work does indeed continue!

A few things

Since last we met a few things have happened with varying levels of significance. Most importantly is Old Hickory in NYC as part of the Snowballs Festival in January. Sounds like it could be a fun event; it's a one day event with a lot of stuff going on in a space on White Street with OH going up at 3 pm. It'll be fun and hopefully a warm up for the SoloNova festival in May, which I have also applied to. Speaking of festivals, thought I would have heard from now about One Man Talking. They did extend the submission deadline to Nov. 30th so I guess it'll be soon that I hear; hope so. It'll be my fourth consecutive appearance there. I've also been submitting to some other stuff with my longer plays, mostly in the city for logistical purposes. Wrote the first draft of another solo bit . . . so that's two currently simmering . . . have to figure which to spend the most time with . . . one is more daring than the other, hence, scarier . . . which means it's the one I should attack ... we'll see. I also have the new Beulah's play, which I heard and got feedback on at Woodstock Fringe . . . very encouraging but I have to figure out what exactly to do with it. More when I know it.